Conejo board OKs pilot program for online classes

High school students in the Conejo Valley Unified School District will have the opportunity to take new online courses through a pilot program that will begin as early as the summer.

The program will include three classes offered through the UC College Prep program, which provides UC-approved curriculum developed by faculty members, said Jeff Davis, director of Conejo's secondary education.

The classes, which could be applied to the academic requirements for UC admission, will include health education, honors psychology and honors sociology.

The Conejo school board approved the program at a meeting Tuesday.

"In these tough budget times, we thought this was a great way to take baby steps and move into offering online classes in the future," Davis said. "We're trying to give students an alternative to take courses they might not be able to during the regular school year."

The curriculum is free to California schools. Students, however, have to pay $175 per course, Davis said.

The College Prep program offers a wide variety of online classes, from AP environmental science to U.S. government and politics.

The district plans to train three teachers to lead the courses, Davis said. The class fees will be used to pay for the teachers.

Because it's a pilot program, only 35 to 45 students will be allowed per course, Davis said.

Although they will be the first official Web classes offered through the district, a handful of students already take online courses through Brigham Young University, Davis said.

In the past, students who receive approval from their principal to take an online course can receive only a pass or fail grade, Newbury Park High School counselor Richard Intlekofer said.

Under the new UC program, students will receive a letter grade.

Carol Boyan, Conejo's director of curriculum, said there is always a great demand for summer courses, especially health education.

"It's an exciting step," Boyan said. "It's nice to have the courses already approved by the UC system. "Everyone trusts it will be rigorous and have the requirements students need."

According to the UC College Prep Web site, the courses are used by districts and schools throughout the state, including the Los Angeles, San Diego and Contra Costa county offices of education.

Davis and Boyan said they hope the program will expand in Conejo to include more classes over the next few years.

"We are also hoping to expand it to the continuation high schools, because this will be a great opportunity for students who are far behind and need to catch up," Davis said.